A fact family in math is a group of related math facts that use the same three numbers to form a set of equations. Typically, a fact family consists of four related equations that show the relationship using a pair of inverse operations: either addition and subtraction or multiplication and division. For example, with the numbers 3, 4, and 7 in an addition/subtraction fact family, the equations are 3 + 4 = 7, 4 + 3 = 7, 7 - 4 = 3, and 7 - 3 = 4. Similarly, for multiplication/division with the numbers 3, 8, and 24, the equations are 3 × 8 = 24, 8 × 3 = 24, 24 ÷ 8 = 3, and 24 ÷ 3 = 8. Fact families help illustrate the inverse relationships between these operations and improve understanding of number relationships.
